Newsletter 148- September 5th 2024
Prayer of the Week:
Lord, grant us the wisdom to care for the earth and till it.
Help us to act now for the good of future generations and all your creatures.
Help us to become instruments of a new creation,
Founded on the covenant of your love.
Than you God for most this amazing day:
for leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes.
Principal's Report:
Dear St Patrick’s community,
This week, we pause to recognize and celebrate the incredible contributions of our Teacher’s Aides and Learning Support Staff. These dedicated individuals are unsung heroes in our classrooms, working tirelessly to ensure that every student has the opportunity to thrive.
Our Learning Support Staff play a vital role in creating an inclusive and supportive learning environment. Whether they are assisting with classroom activities, providing one-on-one support, or helping to adapt lessons to meet the needs of our students, their work is essential to our school's mission.
As we celebrate Teacher's Aide Appreciation Week, let us take the time to express our gratitude for their hard work and dedication. Their contributions are invaluable, and we are deeply thankful for all that they do to support our students and teachers every day.
I would like to highlight an upcoming webinar featuring Vanessa Hamilton, an expert I have learnt with over the years. Vanessa offers valuable insights and guidance on navigating identity formation and understanding in today's social media-driven world.
With many of our students engaging with YouTube and other platforms, it is increasingly important for us as parents to stay informed about the content they are consuming. This webinar will provide essential information to help us support our children in making informed and healthy choices online.
Registration for this webinar is available through this link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_i7si3pxlS0GLKxT-CVy3vA#/registration
Have a great weekend and best of luck to any families still in the footy finals.
Have a great week,
Bettina
From the Office:
2024 School Fees are due
A friendly reminder for families paying School Fees in one instalment, payment is due to be received by Friday 20th September 2024. Payment can be made by electronic transfer to;
National Australia Bank
Account Name: St Patrick’s Primary School Stawell
BSB 083-408
Account: 873223326
Please remember to include your surname as a reference.
Alternatively, please contact the office to make payment by credit card, cash or cheque.
For families on direct debit plans, as we near the end of Term 3, please review your account and contact the office should you need to adjust your instalment amount.
Anna Wadge
Business Manager
A Note From Marian Collage:
On Monday the 16th of September our new Principal (Catherine Howison) will be visiting Marian College. As part of that day, Catherine would like to provide an opportunity for any families interested in meeting her before she begins next year. Catherine will be available in the Brigidine Centre from 4pm and all are most welcome to come and meet her.
Kind regards,
Matthew Summers
Acting Principal
Wellbeing:
Bullying is a term that's frequently used but often misunderstood. At its core, bullying is a pattern of repeated, intentional harm or intimidation where one person or group exerts power over another. This can manifest in various forms, including physical aggression, verbal abuse, social exclusion, or cyber harassment. Unlike a single disagreement or conflict, bullying involves a consistent effort to undermine and control someone, creating a persistent imbalance of power. It's crucial to recognize the signs of bullying to address it effectively and support those affected. Let's work together to foster a safer and more respectful environment for everyone.
Is It Really Bullying - Connecting For Kids
Apple link - https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=1456371945&i=1000431823488
Spotify link - https://open.spotify.com/episode/0r99Tne1Eucd99FU0SEgvt
Lillie Marshman - Wellbeing Leader
Teaching and Learning:
School Assemblies: Our assemblies happen each Friday afternoon starting at 2:45pm in the school hall. Students are dismissed from the hall on this day. We invite all our community to come along
Week 8: Middle C
Week 9: Junior R
Week 10: Foundation
Professional Development: At St Patrick’s Primary School we are committed to Professional Development of our team. At various times staff members will be working off site or online which may result in classroom teachers being out of the classroom.
Term 3 Week 9-
Thursday 12/09/24 - Mrs Lillie Marshman - Wellbeing Leaders Day
Friday 13/09/24 - Mrs Bettina Bird & Mrs Lillie Marshman - REAP
Middle C:
Hard to believe another term is coming to an end! There is a feel of spring in the air (and the sound of the Hawks in September).
In Term 3, we have had some great success in all areas of our learning. In Writing, we have been learning to write detailed information reports on Olympic countries, and have started learning to write a procedural text. In Maths, Grade Threes have been learning about fact families and times tables, while Grade Fours have been learning about factors and multiples.
Last week, we sadly said goodbye to Nathaniel. His enthusiasm and positivity has already been missed in the classroom this week. Everyone from Middle C wishes Nathaniel and his family all the best for their next chapter in Ballarat.
I am going to hand it over to the children to share what they are most proud of from Term 3:
Akech: In Term 3, I am proud of making it to Black Ranges Divisional Sports.
Arli: In Term 3, I am proud of making new friends and my sport and my art and my math and getting 10/10 on my test.
Curtis: In Term 3, I am proud of my maths and I am also proud of my literacy and my information report.
Daniella: In Term 3, I am proud of my writing of my information report and my procedure that we are starting. I am also proud of my maths because I am understanding more than I used to.
Edie: In Term 3, I am proud of doing my writing and maths because I enjoyed the information report.
Fletcher: In Term 3, I am proud of my making it to the next level in athletics. I am doing the 100m and hurdles.
Isaac: In Term 3, I am proud of my info report and maths and listening and having fun.
Jack: In Term 3, I am proud of making it to the next level in 200 metre and long jump.
Kora: In Term 3, I am proud of my information report of Colombia which was really fun but really tiring.
Lily: In Term 3, I am proud of my information report on Ireland and I am also proud of my google slide for science. I am proud of my sport and art water week poster.
Lucas: In Term 3, I am proud of sports and my information report.
Marianne: In Term 3, I am proud of maths and writing because I have finished a really good information report.
Oliver: In Term 3, I am proud of my information report I did on Switzerland. I am also very happy about my maths. I love working with others to work out hard questions.
Oscar: In Term 3, I am proud of my information reports about Finland & Iceland.
Tamieka: In Term 3, I am proud of my google slide and my art and my hand writing and maths and science and my info report and my learning and sports and religion and I'm proud of my water week poster and Cars and Stars and when I'm doing my pulse survey and my learning progress and having the best teacher ever.
Tanner: In Term 3, I am proud of going to the next level sport and my maths for getting ten out of ten on every checkup.
Texas: In Term 3, I am proud of my information report and getting up to my second report and I am proud of my check up.
Josh Cunningham
Students of the Week:
Leon Prockter - For the wonderful work you have done remembering our InitiaLit sounds. Keep up the great work Leon, you’re a superstar!
Amelia O’Callaghan - For the kindness and compassion you show towards all members of our classroom and school. We’re very lucky to have you part of our classroom.
Mia Ampt - For your excellent work in locating two-digit numbers on a number line. Keep taking risks and working hard!
Chelsea Duck - For your wonderful work in Writing. Well done on adding capital letters, full stops and great spelling to your sentences. Keep up the hard work!
Alfie Freeland - For challenging yourself to clearly explain your working out and thinking when solving maths problems in Think Tank. You are so articulate, well done Alfie!
Marley Carlsen - For showing resilience when responding to feedback and making changes to improve your work, you have made such great choices for your learning this week, well done Marley!
Lexie Bailey - For the considerable time and effort you put into creating your incredibly detailed information report on the USA. It was a delight to read. Well done Lexie!
Prithvi Renjith - For the beautiful God's eye web you created in response to our class novel Charlotte's Web. It is amazing!
Tanner Freeland - For the effort you have shown while completing your information report and challenging yourself to include more features in your writing. Great work Tanner!
Kora Allen - For the resilience you have been showing in your Maths while identifying factors and multiples. Keep it up Kora!
Riley Carlsen - For the excellent way that you took on feedback and applied this so as to improve your writing
Henry Wadge - For the way you are working on your descriptive writing piece to include all of the success criteria
Ethan Parker - For the amazing detail you have put into your descriptive writing about your 'Special Place'. Well done Ethan!
Andy Papadopoulos - For the work you have been putting into your descriptive writing piece over the last couple of weeks. Good job Andy!
Living in Faith:
Care for creation:
Pope Francis has established September 1st as the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, encouraging the Catholic community around the world to pray for our common home.
The day is inspired by Pope Francis' landmark encyclical Laudato Si’, which calls on "every person living on this planet" to care for our shared Earth.
In his message for the World Day of Prayer 2023, Pope Francis invites us to "the renewal of our relationship with creation so that we no longer see it as an object to be exploited but cherish it instead as a sacred gift from our Creator."
Over the course of our students' time at St Patrick’s they learn and explore the Care for Creation and Laudato Si’ which is an encyclical of Pope Francis published in May 2015. It focuses on care for the natural environment and all people, as well as broader questions of the relationship between God, humans, and the Earth. The encyclical’s subtitle, “Care for Our Common Home,” reinforces these key themes.
An encyclical is a public letter from the Pope developing Catholic teaching on a topic often in light of current events. Laudato Si’ is addressed to “every living person on this planet” (LS 3). Hence, it is offered as part of an ongoing dialogue within the Catholic Church and between Catholics and the wider world.
What does Laudato Si’ mean?
The first words of Laudato Si’ are Italian and translate as “praise be to you.” They are part of a quotation from St. Francis of Assisi’s “Canticle of the Creatures” that opens the encyclical in which the saint praises God by meditating on the goodness of sun, wind, Earth, water, and other natural forces.
Fathers Day
A huge thank you to all our father’s and father figures that came along to our Father’s day breakfast on Friday. We were absolutely thrilled to see so many that were able to share some special moments with their children.
It was wonderful to have Bishop Paul and Fr Andrew join us for the breakfast and liturgy.
The day was a wonderful celebration of not only the fathers within our community but also the fantastic St Patrick’s community.
Thanks again.
Do you or someone that you know need some help?
If you need help with groceries and shopping vouchers go to -
The Cottage 20 Sloane St Stawell. Open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays between 10:30am and 12:30pm. In out of hours emergencies ring 0408 038 949.
If you need help with fresh fruit and vegetables go to -
Stawell Neighborhood House 42 Sloane St. Open Mondays – Fridays 9am -5pm.
If you need help other than groceries and food, contact –
Stawell St Vincent de Paul Society – 0437 344 323 and leave a message. They will contact you within 24 hours.
Mary Rita Thomas
Sec. and Public Officer, Stawell Inter Church Council (welfare Cottage)
President, Stawell conference of the St Vincent de Paul Society
Mary MacKillop Award:
Mary MacKillop lived a life dedicated to her faith and serving the needs of others. Wherever and however she could, Mary MacKillop did everything possible to improve the lives of others. This award acknowledges the thoughtful actions of the students at St Patrick’s to help others. “Love one another and help one another” Saint Mary MacKillop
Congratulations to this weeks award recipient: Awoum Kur
For stopping and going outside to collect the bins when he saw they had blown over.
Thank you for your kindness.
Birthdays:
Congratulations to these students who celebrated their birthday this week:
Kaison, Ally, Lilly H & Emily
Diocesan/Parish news:
Mass Times:
Ararat Sunday 8.30am
Stawell Sunday 10.30am
Lake Bolac 1st, 3rd, 5th Sundays 6.30pm Vigil Sat
Landsborough 2nd, 4th Sundays 12.30pm
Glenthompson (Hamilton Parish) 2nd, 4th Sundays 8.30am
Please find below the link for the July 2024 edition of
“Our Diocesan Community”
This Magazine is a way to share the good news stories of our schools, parishes and agencies across the diocese.
https://www.ballarat.
Around Our Community:
Please follow us on instagram; stpatsstawell
Upcoming Events:
Our Vision and Mission:
Vision Statement: St Patrick's School is a community which reflects and celebrates Christ as its centre point: By honoring our story we value our whole community. By coming together our vision is for a loving, just, compassionate and tolerant world. Mission Statement: In the tradition of St Patrick, we are committed to: Promoting and celebrating a love of God, self and community. Recognizing and enhancing the talents and uniqueness of each person through our vision of Prayer, Care and Learning. PRAYER We nurture and grow our relationship with God as members of a faith community. CARE We foster recognition of difference, compassion for others and the strength to act on our beliefs. LEARNING We develop the knowledge, attitudes and skills essential to reaching our full potential as life- long learners.